Could Duncan Leave?

[ecuhus1981]

Hey all, Nets/Mavs fan here.

First of all, let me say that I come in peace. I don't know if this topic will be met with thought-provoking discussion, or if I will be run off of the boards like a heretic, but I'm curious: is there a chance that Tim Duncan leaves the Spurs this summer?

As I'm sure most of you know, Timmy has an Early Termination Option (ETO) in his contract, that he can exercise by June 30th and become an unrestricted free agent. The stunning 1st0round exit certainly has left everyone in the organization scratching their heads. Tony Parker has stated that the Spurs' contending window has closed; maybe Duncan feels the same. If so, this may be his last opportunity to change horses, and contribute to earning another ring elsewhere. Manu is breaking down physically; despite this, he is determined to play for his country this summer, leaving his body little to no time in the offseason to recuperate. McDyess is deemed likely to retire, RJ hasn't quite meshed with the starters, and the young talent on your roster doesn't seem ready or capable of taking on larger roles than they currently have, for a team in win-now mode.

Taking all of this into consideration, what do you think RC Buford and Popp would do if someone offered the 35yo 1st-ballot Hall-of-Famer Duncan a rich, long-term contract? Say, 4 years, $71mil? Would the Spurs' brain trust keep Tim a Spur for life, no matter the cap hit? Or are they perhaps preparing to switch gears and rebuild, and willing to let him walk?



In the interest of full disclosure, I believe that the Nets could be in a favorable position, as a fall-back option for the Big Fundamental. Reuniting with his BFF Avery Johnson, tutoring Brook Lopez (as the Admiral tutored him), running P&R with Deron Williams, creating a global brand with Mikhail Prokhorov... and of course, somewhere around $16mil in capspace to offer Tim a hefty contract. Feel free to offer feedback on your opinion on my teams' odds, but really, I'm more concerned about whether you all think that Duncan could leave, at all.

[Nolan]

Ya Tim's not leaving and he's definitely not going to New Jersey. He'll be a Spur for life and Buford and ownership will do everything possible to keep him in black and silver.

[Donald Kaufman]

Timmy will retire as a Spur.

[co_laper]

I'm 100% sure Tim Duncan is a Spur next year. I don't think he'll use his ETO to get out of his contract. He'll fulfill it.

If he was to move, I think that will be after his contract expires. Then, if he still wants to play another year, I think he could find a different team to be a more attractive place for that one last go round.

[Stella Artois]

I also think that Tim Duncan will retire as a Spur.

But I also wouldn't understand this from the pov of the Nets. Why invest this amount of money and years (4 years you mention) in an already declining Tim Duncan. If I were the Nets I'd go after Dwight Howard.

[Black_Jack21]

I also do think pop has alot to do with Tim staying. He has been his coach since he started in the league and there have always been suspicions pop will coach only as long as tim stays. But we also drob spent his whole career here and you would think that loyalty would have rubbed off on his padawan.
So While I'm sure Tim will be here next season, I'm sure there were rockets fans that were saying similar things about Hakeem. IMO Duncan will be a spur for life.

[Blame Rasho]

Timmy will retire as a Spur.

[bstein14]

Tim has no need to ring chase... I can see Parker and Manu moving on, but Tim has maybe 1-2 years left and then he'll retire a Spur. I'd be shocked if he decided to go to a team like Miami to ring chase.

[Donald Kaufman]

He's got 4 already, and they're all his. He has no need to ring chase.